Check out CIF’s 2025 FREE Webinar Series! With experts from the fields of disability services, governmental benefits, and financial planning, we want to share this important information with you and your loved ones.
Webinar #1
Building Resilience, Thursday, February 20, 6:30 pm, via Zoom
Join us for a refreshingly different kind of webinar—one that offers a moment to step back from daily challenges and reflect on the journey of raising and supporting adult children with disabilities. Featuring Kris Burbank, co-author of Embracing Another Normal: Resilience Stories and Strategies for Raising Children with Disabilities, this special event will provide insight, support, and strategies to help you navigate difficult times with confidence. Join us via Zoom, you’ll connect with other families, gain expert guidance, and leave feeling empowered. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, share, and grow together!
Did you miss this webinar? Watch the Zoom recording here!
Webinar #2
Housing Navigation, Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 pm, via Zoom
You have a choice in where and how you live! The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) has added a new program to help people with Developmental Disabilities (DD) find housing options in Illinois communities. People with DD must have Medicaid waiver services or are selected from the PUNS list. Housing Navigators work for the Independent Service Coordination (ISC) agencies and will help people apply for rental units.
Miranda Martinicky, Program Coordinator Housing Navigation, has over 15 of years of experience working in the developmental disability field. She started as a residential QIDP and trainer at a service provider agency before her time at Community Alternatives Unlimited. She began at CAU as a Community Case Manager working with Ligas class members. She is excited to continue working with individuals to realize their dreams of living in the community as CAU’s Housing Navigator.
Did you miss this webinar? Watch the recording here!
Webinar #3
Let’s Learn about Supported Decision Making in Illinois, Thursday, April 17, 6:00 pm, via Zoom
Adam Wiser is the Project Director for the Illinois Self-Advocacy Alliance (The Alliance). He also serves on the Young Professional Board at Center for Independent Futures in Evanston, IL. He completed the PACE (Path to Academics, Community and Employment) program through National Louis University, and was The Arc of Illinois’ Self-Advocate of the Year in 2022. Adam lives in his own apartment with roommates and enjoys riding his bike as well as spending time with his dog Bruce. Adam specializes in empowering other self-advocates to speak up and speak out and presents regularly as a content expert for The Alliance.
Krescene Beck focuses on Organizational Advocacy Support for The Alliance. She has spent more than 17 years working on statewide grants focused on self-advocacy and on building collaborations to better respond to people with disabilities who experience violence. Krescene specializes in creating opportunities for self-advocates to find and use their voices to live their best lives.
Teresa Parks, MSW, NCG is the Deputy Director of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission as well as Director of the Commission’s Human Rights Authority. Parks holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana and is National Certified Guardian through the Center for Guardianship Certification. Parks is also a graduate of Illinois’ Partners in Policy Making Program and the Institute of Special Education Advocacy through William and Mary Law School. Prior to working for the Commission, Parks was a nursing home ombudsman and program director for a community mental health agency. Currently, Parks serves on the board and education committee of the Illinois Guardianship Association, is an appointed member of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities and is a trustee for the Center for Guardianship Certification. She has also served on various local and regional disability-related boards and committees. Parks has presented at a number of state and national conferences, including numerous presentations on Supported Decision-Making. Parks is the parent of two adult children, including a son with disabilities.
Webinar #4
Guardianship and Alternatives, Thursday, May 1, 6:00 pm, via Zoom
Beginning January 2017 Barry G. Lowy assumed the position of Director of The Office of State Guardian with the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. Part of his responsibilities are to promote and assist with legislation that positively impacts the lives of persons with disabilities. He has participated in efforts to pass legislation requiring training for newly appointed guardians and has developed nationally regarded on-line training for these guardians. Additionally, he has participated in helping to pass legislation expanding involvement of those under guardianship to participate in decisions about themselves, supported decision-making and sex education for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To date over 7,000 newly appointed guardians have been trained. Prior to his current position he had been with Equip for Equality from February 1999, in various litigation roles. He has litigation experience across multiple subjects dealing with persons with disabilities ranging from individual representation in state probate court to federal class action litigation on behalf of adults seeking developmental disability services in community settings and was part of the Ligas class counsel team. He has litigated multiple adult guardianship cases on behalf of individuals with developmental and psychiatric disabilities including the appellate decision of Guardianship of Muellner v. Blessing Hospital which prevents guardians from compelling wards with mental illnesses into nursing homes against their wishes. Director Lowy served as an adjunct professor at SIU School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry from 2002-2012 and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Disability Law Committee. Prior to coming to Equip for Equality, Director Lowy was in private practice in Cook and Lake County working in the field of personal injury including medical malpractice and products liability. He has a law degree from Tulane University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lake Forest College.
Webinar #5
PUNS: What to Know, Thursday, May 8, 6:00 pm, via Zoom
PUNS: What to Know Before Applying, While on the Wait List, and After (and the DHS Home Services Funding Option Your Loved One May be Able to Access in the Meantime)
A former special education high school and transition teacher of 15 years, Heather developed ‘A Love for Special Learning’ to support both educators and families. In addition to teaching, Heather supported families and students as they developed their vision for life post-exit and walked alongside them as they applied for benefits to make their dreams a reality. By making the overly complicated world of benefits easier to understand for families and young adults, Heather increased their ability to access and benefit from a variety of funding, services, and supports. From transition skills goal banks to curriculums, resources, and Illinois benefit guides, A Love for Special Learning aims to meet the needs of and empower educators, families, and modern-day students alike.
Webinar #6
SSI & SSDI: When to Apply, Who Qualifies, How they Differ, and How to Take Advantage of Both, Thursday, May 22, 6:00 pm, via Zoom
A former special education high school and transition teacher of 15 years, Heather developed ‘A Love for Special Learning’ to support both educators and families. In addition to teaching, Heather supported families and students as they developed their vision for life post-exit and walked alongside them as they applied for benefits to make their dreams a reality. By making the overly complicated world of benefits easier to understand for families and young adults, Heather increased their ability to access and benefit from a variety of funding, services, and supports. From transition skills goal banks to curriculums, resources, and Illinois benefit guides, A Love for Special Learning aims to meet the needs of and empower educators, families, and modern-day students alike.